


temporary

by wintersweather



Category: Polygon/McElroy Vlogs & Podcasts RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Haircuts, M/M, some hints of pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 01:17:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18906559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintersweather/pseuds/wintersweather
Summary: count my blessings on one hand and my curses on the other





	temporary

**Author's Note:**

> title/excerpt from "kali ma" by neck deep!

The scissors felt awkward in his right hand as he leaned close to the mirror, bottom lip caught between his teeth in concentration, holding a few strands of hair away from the rest with his left. He cautiously snips just the bottom few centimeters, watches them fall to the sink in the reflection, joining many other casualties from earlier. His hair didn't really look any different. How long had he been doing this? Maybe he should've went to cosmetology school instead of going a thousand dollars in debt for writing, he thinks vaguely, but it seemed a little too late now that he was a junior.

Oh well. He did what he could. At least the split ends were mostly gone.

He sets the scissors down on the counter, turning to open the bathroom door right as the knob is ripped out of his grasp. Patrick looks surprised on the other side, holding the door open, tilting his head. "Shit, dude. Sorry. Didn't realize you were in here." He says, taking a few steps out to let Brian out. 

Brian stays still. "Hey! Actually, this is weird, but I know you cut your own hair - looks great, by the way - mind doing mine?" He asks, gauging Pat's reaction. Not much of one. "I tried. I mean, I've trimmed my ends before, but I want more of it gone and I can't trust myself."

"But you can trust me?" Pat's smiling, just a little. He shuffles his way into the too-small bathroom, resting his hands on Brian's shoulders and pressing until Brian takes a hint and sits on the closed toilet lid. 

"I guess." Brian answers, and he thinks it's true. Pat hasn't let him down in the past three years, so why would he start now? Brian crosses his legs at the knee, looking up at Pat. "Go for it." He adds, gesturing towards the scissors, and Pat seems a little more confident than Brian was with the kitchen scissors in hand.

There's little discussion; just Brian indicating around where he wants his hair cut, and Pat making overdramatized thinking faces. Brian's feeling somewhat comfortable until Pat cards his fingers through his hair, settles on a piece, and chops it. Brian can hear the noise, right beside his ear, and it sounds like quite a bit. 

"Don't move or I'll make you bald." Pat threatens as Brian startles, pulling away from Pat's hand. There's no promise to the threat, but there's a bit of fire in the statement, so Brian decides not to test it. Instead, he tells Pat he's nervous, and Pat ruffles his hair. "You'll be alright. I swear I've done this before." It's not very convincing, but it's better than Brian's current skill set, so he sits up straight and digs his chipped nails into his palms and prays he won't have any bare spots when Pat's done.

Piece after piece of tawny hair falls to the tiled floor, under Pat's boots and Brian's socked feet. Pat's not shy about turning Brian's head this way and that, long fingers underneath Brian's chin, adjusting and moving how he sees fit. Brian hopes his blush isn't as visible as it feels under Pat's gentle touches. Just for a fleeting moment, it feels a tiny bit like they're lovers, and Brian doesn't allow himself a smile at the thought, no matter how bad he wants to.

Pat sets the scissors aside, running his hands through Brian's hair a few times to shake the loose strands out. It seems like they all fall into Brian's shirt collar, and Brian laments this to Pat (who doesn't do much but laugh in response, brushing Brian's shoulders with his hands the best he can). "Tell me what you think." He says, moving back so Brian has enough room to stand and squeeze between the sink edge and Pat. 

Other than being painfully aware of every space they touched, Brian was pleasantly surprised by the cut. It was shorter on the sides, long on top, his curls tousled by Pat's frequent fussing with them. "Pat Gill! You did so good!" He exclaims, eyes shifting up to meet Pat's in the reflection. Pat's grinning but doesn't seem inclined to answer, so Brian continues. "A thousand times better than I could've ever done. Thank you, so much." He turns to look up at Pat.

The close quarters of the bathroom kept Pat close enough that Brian could feel the heat radiating off of him. "Whatever. You've got nice hair, it was my pleasure." He says, then hesitates, like he was going to continue but stopped himself. Brian almost pries for more, but Pat's walking backwards out of the bathroom. "Anyway. Uh. Cool." He finishes, a tinge of awkwardness in his tone.

Or maybe Brian's just projecting. He follows Pat out, slipping by him into their shared room. "Any idea where the broom is?" He asks, absently running his hands through his own hair. It felt weird, but not unwelcome. "Kinda don't want to leave my hair all over the floor."

"I think Simone took it."

Brian nods, because he should've _known_. "Care to accompany me to her room so we can steal it back?" He offers, outstretching a hand. He has to hide his surprise when Pat takes it, clasping his own around Brian's, warm and large and soft and so very, very Pat. 

Pat laughs, short and breathy, swinging Brian's arm as they walk to the door. "Absolutely. Anyway, she's going to ask about your hair, and I _have_ to be there to tell her all about it, right?"

Brian smiles as he opens their door, feeling warm all over. "Of course, Pat Gill."

**Author's Note:**

> age differences,,,,,,,who needs em,,,,,this is fiction
> 
> this sux idk why i wrote it
> 
> tumblr: easterntimecryptid  
> twitter: estcryptid


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